


a lifetime of social conditioning

by vashti_lives



Category: Being(s) in Love Series - R. Cooper
Genre: Gen, Past David/Flor Mentioned, Spoilers for Sweet Clematis, outside pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 19:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17834609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vashti_lives/pseuds/vashti_lives
Summary: Grocery stores at 1 AM are strange other worldly places.





	a lifetime of social conditioning

There was only one register open at the grocery store this time of night. Louise hadn’t expected that, but then she usually did her grocery shopping at a more traditional hour. At one in the morning the 24-hour grocery store was staffed sparsely. A logical choice, but unnerving all the same. In spite of the late hour there were two people ahead of her, both fairly young but not exuberant the way Tabitha’s friends and classmates could be. The hushed atmosphere of the store seemed to weigh on even them. Thankfully the cashier didn’t seem to notice the strange feeling that had overtaken the customers and was ringing up the young man in the front of the line in fairly short order. 

She was tired and Tabitha and John were sick and cranky and suddenly needed “the good kind of ginger ale that comes in a bottle” and she’d been a nurse long enough to know they didn’t need to go the hospital or even a doctor yet; there wasn’t much that could be done for the stomach flu, but she couldn’t help but worry a little. Enough to be here, at the grocery store, at one in the morning with a basket full of ginger ale and cherry flavored bismuth tabs and pre-made jello in little cups. 

The line moved forward by one, just as the lights flickered and then went out entirely. She felt a rush of air move behind her and heard the flutter of wings. There were only two people in town who it could be, as far as she knew. She hadn’t spoken to either of them in years. Trapped between the oppressive darkness of the store and the awkward position of being so close to someone she had deliberately cut out of her life years ago her sleep deprived brain gave up and her mind was perfectly bank for a solid 90 seconds. 

Then a soft, musical voice behind her said “Oh dear” and a lifetime of social conditioning kicked in. Louise turned around and said “I really hope this doesn’t last long. I didn’t think the storm outside was that bad.” 

Jazmín said “No, it was raining, but not hard enough to stop me walking here. With my umbrella I didn’t even get very wet.” 

Conversation stopped after that, and the lights stayed off. The poor cashier was having a somewhat frantic conversation on her phone but Louise couldn’t focus on that. In a panic she blurted out “I saw Flor on the news the other day. I hope he’s doing well.” Shit. Shit. She hadn’t meant to bring up Flor. She hadn’t meant to talk at all. What was wrong with her?  
Louise couldn’t see Jazmín's expression but she sounded cheerful enough as she said. “Yes Laurel and I are so very proud. He’s doing wonderfully. I saw your son on the news. He looks like he’s doing quite well himself.” 

Why had she brought up the news? Of course Jazmín had seen David there. Everyone had seen him—her relatives, his professors and students, his future employers. But that was David, never thinking of the consequences. Eventually she said “Yes.” She should have left it at that but against her own will she found herself saying. “He’s so busy these days, but he came over last month. He brought his— his boyfriend. Tulip.” And there it was. The reason she had asked after Flor. 

She had been so angry at the time, and for years afterwards, but… she’d watched Flor grow. She known him as a boy. Flor had made mistakes, but he’d been so young. Tabitha a senior now, in her last semester too. She’d be out of the house soon enough and it was leaving her feeling… a little adrift. Reflective. Her baby would be out in the world. It made her remember David at that age. By the time he’d hit his senior year he’d barely been home, spending all his free time with That Boy as she’d called him at the time. But in hindsight it was clear Flor had loved her son at least as much as David had loved him. And now David had brought this fairy Tulip home and she thought— she thought that might be it for him. 

She found herself asking again “Is Flor. Is he okay?” As she asked the emergency lighting finally came on. It wasn’t actually bright enough to be anywhere near blinding, but the gleam of Jazmín's glitter still left her blinking. 

“Oh. Oh. You actually mean that.” Jazmín sounded surprised. Louise blinked. It was too late at night for her to know how to respond to that kind of acknowledgment of how often people said things they didn’t mean. “He really is doing well. He’s found his happiness at last, a lovely boy named Clematis.” 

Louise felt immediate relief at the news that Flor had found someone else, and then guilt at that relief. In the tangle of confused emotions her “I’m very glad to hear it” sounded strange and stiff and awful even to her own ears. Turning back to the cash register she squared her shoulders. She’d be home soon. She wasn’t lying though. 

Jazmín didn’t seem to notice it. Or at least she didn’t acknowledge it this time. “Yes. I’m so glad. And Clematis really is darling, though goodness knows how he managed it.” She shifted a little and Louise thought her feet might have left the floor, though she was making an effort not to turn around again.

“I know you thought Laural and I were shockingly lax parents but honestly! His parents are a disgrace to fairykind.” Jazmín spoke in a rush, as though she couldn’t contain herself. Turning around was automatic and she saw that Jazmín’s glitter seemed to multiply and darken all at once. 

It was her turn to check out now and Louise was relieved Jazmín couldn’t see her face. She might have been a hippie fairy who shocked all her neighbors by ripping out her lawn 30 years before it was trendy and forgetting things like clothes but at heart she was also a suburban mother. Criticizing other parents was a universal constant for beings and humans alike. Though it must be something for Jazmín to be muttering about it to her. 

Her supplies finally bought and manners on autopilot she waved to Jazmín as she walked away from the check out line but she didn’t stay to hear anything else she might have said. She was relieved to hear Flor had found someone else but she was glad to be away from Jazmín and her fairy eyes. She wasn’t sorry she’d spoken up after all but grocery stores at 1 AM were not for her.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm weirdly obsessed with David's family because on the one hand they sound very staid and conventional and not like, terrifically good parents, but the other they did produce David (and Tabitha! who I have Opinions on) so they can't be all bad. 
> 
> I imagine Louise and Jazmín eventually become weird awkward friends, much to the collective bafflement of their children and husbands. IMO one of the most important foundations of friendship is having mutual dislikes and for all their differences you know there's a lot of overlap there. Probably at some point David and Flor find out and are both just like ???????? 
> 
> Uh, obviously all parent names save Jazmín are made up by me.


End file.
